Building Reuse is Climate Action: Verification Methodologies

Climate change is the existential crisis of our time. We have long known that operational energy use is a major contributor to the problem. The substantial up-front carbon emissions (embodied carbon) associated with the production of building materials have gone largely uncounted - but they are just as significant. Projections made by Architecture 2030 show that by the year 2030, embodied carbon will account for 74% of total emissions from all construction after 2020. Reusing rather than replacing buildings is a powerful strategy for reducing embodied carbon and creating near-term impacts in carbon reductions.
Quantifying carbon reductions and evaluating full life cycle impacts of building reuse is a rapidly evolving skill using tools that are also evolving quickly. Three national leaders in this effort will demonstrate through case studies with clear and compelling results how they are changing the practice of architecture and verifying that building reuse IS climate action.